Second LETTER to the President of Switzerland - update 21April

To The President of Switzerland

Herr Hans-Rudolf Merz Updated21 April 2009

Your Excellency,

The civilized world watched with dismay the Iranian president's racist hate-speech taking central stage yesterday in a conference what should have been a sincere global get-together against real racism, persecution and genocide going on in the world even today. Most civilized nations boycotted or left in visible protest that hate-speech. It is most embarrassing that only You, the President of Switzerland of all civilized countries had been seen by the world cordially shaking hands one day ahead of this hate-event.

Such a highest-level Swiss contact with a Holocaust denier and propagator of "wiping off Israel from the map" can not go without reminiscence to another inhumane regime which declared and pursued the aim of "wiping off the Jewish people from the earth" - and also to Switzerland's own role in that era. While there were individual Swiss heroes, like Carl Lutz, who fought against the Holocaust with utmost self-sacrifice, and these Swiss people will be never forgotten, it is also known that Switzerland as a state has not done enough for saving the victims and not once cooperated with the evil. Here and now there is a rare opportunity to correct past failures and even to elevate Switzerland's international prestige.

We, as citizens of many nations in this world and the undersigned also as a Holocaust survivor, do not necessarily agree with those many who unconditionally condemn your meeting with President Ahmadinejad. We believe that while the danger exists that this event becomes a stain on your and on Switzerland's name, alternatively this can be a positive opportunity if well used.

In case now, after that ominous speech made the speaker's racist hate clearly seen, You as The President of Switzerland takes the opportunity to condemn in the clearest and strongest terms President Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial and all his anti-Israel, anti-Semitic and other hate speeches, this will clean that stain and more: it will both help to make the world a better place and elevate Switzerland's international prestige.